Two Sides of a Coin
by Sonata Raye
Summary: Hey, I'm the new girl at school, and despite what people say about the city, like how it's so 'exciting', 'fun-filled', and 'thrilling', life here is like any other city... Unless you count a child detective, criminal organizations, a famous phantom thief, teenage detectives, a sleeping detective, it's all pretty normal. Nothing strange here. Note: Romance later on. Slight AU/AR
1. A New Student

**Two Sides of a Coin: Chapter 1**

_**A New Student**_

**Sonata: Yaaaayyy! The first chapter of my COMPLETELY re-written Magic Kaito/ Meitantei Conan fanfic! Like how I'm posting it on Halloween? My second favorite holiday (though I don't get today off of school...)! -is doing a happy dance with party poppers- -throws confetti-**

**Sora: Why are you dressed in visual kei...?**

**Sonata: It's my costume for tonight!**

**Saguru: You are a strange person.**

**Sonata: Don't kill my good mood.**

**Kaito: Have fun getting up to where you left off last time.**

**Sonata: Like I said, it's COMPLETELY re-written. Don't expect it to be like the old one. And ha! No way am I posting the old one again, that was one crappy (forgotten) plot! -is all smiley-smiley-**

**Sora: Like this one is any better.**

**Sonata: DON'T. KILL. MY. MOOD.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan/ Magic Kaito; if I did, it wouldn't be six or seven-hundred something episodes long.**

* * *

(Sora's POV)

I groaned as I saw the school just a few blocks away. This'll be the third high-school I've been to since moving back to Japan. I wondered how long I would be here, then shrugged and figured that it didn't really matter... I yawned and turned my attention back to what's in front of me. Lucky too, because I almost stepped off the sidewalk and onto a busy intersection. _"__Watch where you're going, idiot!"_ I mentally chided myself. I turned my attention back to the walk/ don't walk sign, and it shone green. I walked across and no longer busied myself with distracting thoughts.

I reached the school gate, and saw nobody familiar (no surprise there). I sighed and went inside. At the shoe lockers, I looked for my name and found it. I took off my sneakers and put on my school shoes. Just as I started putting on the left one, I heard laughter coming from the far side of the room. My curiosity got the best of me and I went to investigate.

I saw a boy with dark brown hair entertaining a group of girls with... magic tricks? I watched from afar, and saw through his tricks. _"__So simple..."_ I mused_._ I 'hmmmed' and walked away. The bell started ringing and the magician boy ran off to who-knows-where. I shook my head in disapproval and continued on my (insert sarcastic tone) _merry_ way.

I reached classroom 4-C and let out a long breath. As soon as I heard sensei say that a new student was joining, I slid open the door and walked in. There were seifuku and gakuran everywhere (well, no duh). I sighed and introduced myself.

"Hi, the name's Fuyuhana Sora. Nice to meet'cha." I added an 'I guess' that no one but I heard.

"Everyone, she just transferred here from Hokkaido, so don't make fun of her dialect, alright?" Sensei added sternly. I rolled my eyes and thought, _"I don't have a _dialect_, I have a slight _accent_, that's about it. And seriously, who even says that to high schoolers? This isn't elementary school."_

"Sensei, where may I sit?" I asked with a bored tone.

"Hmm... Go ahead and sit behind Kurouba-san. Kurouba-san, please raise your hand." The boy from before rose his hand. I rose my eyebrow at his grin. _"__Is he excited because I'm a girl? Whatever..."_ I took my seat behind him, and blew my bangs out of my face. _"__I really need to get a trim, my hair is starting to touch my shoulders..."_

Sensei started the lesson, and apparently it was History. _"__Hmm, this is all stuff I learned in Karuizawa."_ Because of that, I had no reservations about falling asleep behind my book... Due to a particularly loud student, I was able to wake up for my turn at reading the chapter. I read it (well, not really since I already knew this part), and sat back down to sleep. When I woke up, the bell was ringing and it was time to get to the next class. Unfortunately for me, it was music. As usual, I was singing off-key, off-beat and I sounded horrible. The music sensei and the others stared at me in shock, not knowing whether or not my horrible singing was on purpose or not. I merely shrugged and they continued on. I noticed the sensei shoot me a glare whenever I opened my mouth so I kept it shut.

After that disaster, we had English. When it was my turn to recite the British poem, I stood up and recited it with a slight accent. The students and sensei were surprised to say the least. I just smirked and sat back down.

* * *

After first period was a free period (only for seniors since many are studying for entrance exams). I lay down on the grass, not caring for a moment that I was in the sun. _"__This heat feels good... it's so cold in Hokkaido..."_ I thought lazily. Just as I really started to really unwind, a few girls came and interrupted my peace.

"Hey! You're the new girl, right?" They asked. I raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Great! We were wondering if you could help us out with English... We heard that you speak with no Japanese accent, so we figured that you're really good, and..." One of the girls rambled on.

"It only makes sense that I have no Japanese accent- since I lived in Australia for awhile, that is." I said with a yawn.

"Really? Wow, that's so cool!" One of the other girls chimed. _"__Please, go away. I just wanna sleep..."_ I thought as I rolled over onto my side. Just as I thought they wouldn't go away (until I helped them, that is), I heard a wolf whistle, and looked for the source of the noise. I saw Kurouba, and the girls squealed and ran over to him. _"__Whoever you are, I owe you one." _I thought gratefully before nodding off.

* * *

_DIIIINNNNNGGG_

DOOOONNNNNGGGG

_DIIIINNNNNGGG_

_DOOOONNNNNGGGG_

Rang the bell. I sat up with a stretch and a yawn. _"__Well, that was a nice nap."_ I thought glumly. _"__And now it's over..."_ I got up and took my time getting to the Home Ec classroom, (seeing as it was only ten or so yards away) and yawned once more.

At Home Ec, we were learning how to make a tart. I cringed at the thought of sweets. Somehow, I made the best tart in the class... I didn't eat a single bite. After that, we went on to PE.

The coach was demanding, and said that we had to go through an obstacle course. _"__How childish..."_ I thought with a smirk. The course required that we cartwheel over to a beam, walk across it as fast as possible, hop down, do three pull-ups (on the pull-up bar, of course), and do a fifty meter dash with hurdles. _"__Maybe it's not so childish..."_ I thought grimly. Since my last name begins with 'Fu' I was going sometime close to the beginning. Once it was my turn, the coach started timing me, and I cartwheeled to the beam. Not without falling over a few times on the way. I reached the beam, climbed up and walked across. I wobbled a few times. I made it across, and ran to the pull-up bar. I jumped up, and tried to pull myself up, but to no avail. I tried for about a minute, until the coach just told me to move on. I nodded and hopped down. I did the fifty meter dash, and stumbled over nine out of ten of them. When I reached the end, the coach shook his head at me.

"Eight minutes and fifty-six seconds." He said sternly. My jaw dropped to the floor (not literally of course). _"__I took that long!?"_ I thought with surprise.

"I'll let you off this time, but you better pick up the pace, Fuyuhana-san. You're dismissed." He then blew his whistle to signal to the next student to start. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and frowned. _"__How on Earth did I do that in EIGHT MINUTES!? That was slow, a LOT slower than expected... Ugh, I'm gonna hit the showers since I was dismissed." _I walked tiredly over to the girls' locker room and went into the shower. I sighed in relief as all the disgusting sweat washed away. _"__I may be a tomboy, but I don't enjoy being smelly, sticky and oily."_ I thought with disgust. I finished showering in just four minutes and hurriedly dressed and made my way to the next class on my schedule.

* * *

At lunch hour, I was still not very thrilled about this new school. _"__It's boring, people are prejudiced, lots of little cliques and everyone here is just a carbon copy of another person. All of the usual." _I thought with a roll of my eyes.

"Ah! Fuyuhana!" Someone called me.

"Haaaah?" I saw that it was Kurouba. "What is it?" I asked him tiredly.

"Yo! So, how are you liking the school?" He asked with a toothy grin.

"Just like all the other schools I went to." I sighed.

"Well, don't get too bored, when you're in the same class as me, it's never uneventful!" He said proudly.

"Yeah, sure..." I walked away to sit down at a table. Unfortunately, he followed me.

"So, how'd you like my magic tricks earlier?" He asked me with that annoying grin still plastered on his face.

"It was okay. I've seen better." I said while taking a bite of tamagoyaki.

"Oh? Who?" He asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Kurouba Toichi." I said simply.

"Kurouba Toichi, huh? Yeah he was amazing." Kurouba said quietly.

"Yeah, it's sad that he died..." I said while sipping some water.

"Yeah, he was my father." I was pretty sure my eyebrows went up to my hairline.

"I-I'm sorry." I apologized. _I must be an idiot. They have the same last name!_

"Ah, don't worry about it! I want to be a better magician than my father!" I smiled at his ambition.

"Good luck beating that legacy of his." I said before taking a bite of some kare raisu.

"Ha ha! Magicians don't need luck! They need skill, creativity and need to be fun!" He counted off on his fingers.

"I suppose, but I haven't cared for magic tricks as much lately." I said while standing up to dump my trash (I brought a bento).

"Aaahhh! Matte! You have Chemistry next, right?" He asked me hurriedly.

"Yeah, why?" I rose my eyebrow _again_ at his enthusiasm.

"I do, too!" I rolled my eyes at him.

"Whatever." I said with a sigh.

"Mo, be a little more excited, huh?" He said with an annoyed tone.

"KAITO!" I heard a girl's voice yell. I turned my head towards the source. It was a girl with long, brown hair and blue eyes.

"Stop flirting with the new girl!" She scolded him.

"Baka-ko! I'm not flirting!" He yelled back.

"It's AOKO! A-O-KO!" I decided to not get involved, so I walked over to the Chemistry class early.

* * *

Well, Kurouba certainly wasn't lying, class was very eventful.

He mixed some chemicals together to create a smoke, and he ran out the door while we were all coughing. _"__Of course..."_ I thought bitterly.

After that disaster, the rest of us were left to clean up _his _mess. _"__I swear... The world just hates me today..."_ I thought bitterly.

* * *

After school, I was so tired I barely made it back home _"I need to get used to city noise.._._"_ I walked to my apartment at a snail's pace. Once I made it up, I collapsed onto my bed.

…

_"Huh, I fell asleep..." _I got up with a yawn, and opened the window. Outside were the sounds of sirens, angry car horns, and other common sounds of basic city life. I took a deep breath, and noticed that it was getting dark already.

I stepped out of my room and into the kitchen. I peeked inside of my fridge and discovered that I was running low on food. _"__Blast." _I changed into normal clothes, and headed out the door.

As I stepped out of the complex, the first thing I noticed was the feeling of being watched. I looked around, but all I saw were people, cars, and buildings. Nobody unusual. I shrugged the feeling off, and went off to do what I needed to.

I reached the grocery store, and saw a girl with a little boy. _"__Huh, that kid looks familiar."_ I thought it was strange, but I realized something. _"__The last time I was in this region, I was seven. There's no way that kid even existed back then." _I went off to pick out some produce. _"__What should I make for dinner? I guess omuraisu would be good."_ I picked out the ingredients I needed, plus a few extra for later in the week. I was about to head toward the deli, but I heard something.

_BANG_

_BANG_

My head turned towards the source, and that noise came from a gun. I had a sinking feeling in my gut that something bad would happen.

"Everybody on the ground! This is a robbery!" A man with a mask demanded.

_This won't end well at all._

* * *

**Sonata: So... what'd you guys think? Is this better than the previous one?**

**Sora: I guess it's a little better. Please wear something other than visual kei.**

**Sonata: No!**

**Saguru: Hey, why haven't I shown up yet?**

**Sonata: Because, you're not needed right now.**

**Conan: You dragged me into this _again_?**

**Sonata: … Yes.**

**Conan: Why?  
**

**Sonata: Because I prefer mysteries over heists.**

**Kaito: HEY!**

**Sonata: Hee hee. So, now you know why it's under Case Closed/ Meitantei Conan instead of Magic Kaito.**


	2. Escape- Part One

**Two Sides of a Coin: Chapter Two**

_**Escape- Part One**_

**Cryaotic- I'm flattered that you like my story so far! And actually, she'll end up with -bleeeeeeeep-**

**mur- It is quite surprising that you found this story the day of its release! And here it is, the next chapter! And yes, she does indeed sleep a lot. But then, that's what disrupted nights does to people.**

**Flor- Hi Flor, I'm so glad you liked the story! And your criticism did indeed help me very much :) I love leaving cliff-hangers since it leaves my readers in suspense! I'm just mean like that (I'm joking of course).**

**I'm relieved that she isn't a Mary-Sue (in your opinion at least), because I used to have at least four Ocs, and half of them were indeed Mary-Sues. I've had no experience in moving from place-to-place, so it took a lot of thinking to figure out how someone would be socially. It is quite interesting that you can, in fact, relate with Sora (since she came from my mind) and I feel like she's a little mixture of a few of my friends, as well as her own traits. I'm also glad that you feel her personality is different from many others, it tells me that my story stands out in at least one regard (hope I'm not feeling to highly about this).**

**Yes, it is rather ironic that a robbery occurred after Conan entered the store haha. It makes me happy to know that you are excited for the next chapter! I was rather hesitant to post this reboot, but the positive feedback I'm getting is encouraging me to keep going. Anyway, the original was quite horrible to be honest.**

**All this to say, thank you for your kind words! :)**

**Sonata: Hi! Just posting this for now... Oh, I won't be updating my other stories as often anymore since I'm super busy now! DX**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan/ Magic Kaito.**

* * *

_Recap..._

_BANG _

_BANG_

_This won't end well at all..._

* * *

I dropped to the ground, and another man with a mask had me follow him to where the others were. I followed him silently, and took a look around the store. There were five men, each with a mask. I couldn't see how many were armed, but I knew at least two had a gun - the man who fired the two shots earlier, and the man who led me.

We reached the group, and he shoved me to the ground. "_That was a bit unnecessary."_ I thought angrily. I propped myself up, and they duct taped my wrists together (as well as everyone else). I looked around, and saw the little kid from earlier. I expected him to be crying and scared, but he looked... calm – pensive, even. That wasn't the typical reaction of a little kid. I slowly scooted over to him, and whispered in his ear, "Aren't you scared, kid?"

He looked at me, and suddenly his face had an expression of fear. "_Too sudden."_ I thought suspiciously.

"I'm very scared, onee-san! Ran-neechan, what do we do?" He asked the girl he was with.

"HEY! QUIET OVER THERE!" One of the masked men yelled at us. I cringed at the loud voice.

"I don't know, Conan-kun.." The one I presumed was named 'Ran' said with a smile- though I could see the worry behind it.

"Bad time for an introduction, but whatever. The name's Fuyuhana Sora. Nice to meet ya." I said with a slight bow of my head.

"My name is Mouri Ran." She said her name.

"Edogawa Conan." He said with a small smile. I rose my eyebrow at the strange name, but brushed that aside. "Sora-neesan, you look sleepy." He pointed out.

I yawned and said, "I'm still getting used to all the city noise... Why on earth do people honk so much...?" while wiping my face on my shoulder.

"Eh? You're not from the city?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

"Yeah, I came here from a rural area in Hokkaido." I yawned again, and laid down on the floor, hoping to fall asleep. As I waited for sleep to consume me, I looked around and took count of how many men were armed. Three out of five of the men were armed. _"Obviously, city life is way too crazy for a country girl like me." _I began to plot a way for us to get out, but a man rudely interrupted my thoughts.

"Hey! Get off the floor and sit up straight!" I sighed and sat up. I looked at the kid again, and he seemed deep in thought again. _"Weird kid."_ I thought with a frown. I looked at all of the people, and saw a very (but annoyingly) familiar face. Kurouba. I groaned internally and rolled my eyes. He seemed oddly calm as well (but then, I'm rather calm right now too). He was sitting just a few feet away from me, so I thought that maybe I could call him over and we could try to plot an escape. I managed to reach into my back pocket, and I pulled out a ten yen coin and put it on the ground behind me. I felt around for it with my foot and when I found it I kicked it over to him. I watched it slide and it hit his leg. He noticed the sudden contact and looked down at the coin. He looked around and saw me looking at him. He grinned and scooted over to me.

"Nice shot!" He whispered.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Whatever. Anyway, have they made any demands yet?" with a raised brow.

"No, not yet." He answered.

"Any injuries, fatalities?" I asked with an emotionless face.

"No, not yet." He said solemnly.

"_This is strange... this is a hostage situation, and no demands have been made, no threats... what's going on?" _I thought, highly confused. I knew Kurouba would have thought it was weird, so I asked him, "Don't you think is an... unusual situation?"

"Yes. They don't want a ransom, they haven't contacted the police at all, and only three out of five of them are armed. Oh, and I'm pretty sure one of them is a woman." He said with a serious face. _"Hmm, he's observant- that's good. I didn't even notice one of them is a woman." _I thought, mildly impressed.

"Good eyes." I complemented him.

"Thanks. So... any ideas yet?" He asked me.

"None yet." I looked at the kid again, and he was looking at me and Kurouba with mild interest in his expression. I scooted over to him and said, "What's up, kid?"

"N-nothing." He answered too fast. I rose my eyebrow at him.

"Do you and your onee-san want to come over and talk with me and that troublesome fellow over there?" I invited him. He nodded and began whispering to his onee-san. She nodded and they scooted over to Kurouba and I discreetly. Kurouba noticed the kid and looked shocked. Mouri saw Kurouba and was surprised.

"Aoko?" Kurouba asked Mouri. _"Oh yeah, she looks like that one girl he was arguing with earlier."_

"Shinichi?" She was confused. For some reason the kid looked annoyed.

"My name isn't Shinichi, it's Kurouba Kaito. Yoroshiku." He said with a bow of his head.

"My name is Mouri Ran." Mouri introduced herself.

"Edogawa Conan!" The kid cut in. _"Jealous?"_

"Okay, so we need a plan..." I interrupted the endless line of introductions. "Anyone want to be a distraction?" I asked.

"Distraction? Leave that to me." Kurouba volunteered.

I nodded and asked, "Okay, anyone here good at martial arts?"

"I am." Mouri said.

"Okay, how would you feel about taking on three people with guns?" I asked nervously. _"I was hoping Kurouba would be able to fight. I don't want this girl to get hurt because of me." _ I thought worriedly.

"That's fine." She said determinedly. Conan-kun looked alarmed.

"I'll help." He said with a determined expression of his own. _"Not the kid too!" _

"Look Conan-kun, I don't want you to get hurt." He shook his head and I saw that I couldn't persuade him otherwise. That look on his face said it all. "Fine then." I said with a head shake of my own.

"Alright, Kurouba, Mouri, Conan-kun, this is what you do..."

* * *

We plotted and all that was left was to sit and wait for an opportunity. The five criminals were pacing around the group of people. We sat, and waited...

I heard a sound in the distance, and it was police sirens. They were getting closer, and one of the officers must've had a mega-phone, because he said:

"COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP! WE HAVE THE BUILDING SURROUNDED!"

"Feh, what an obvious bluff." I heard one of them scoff. _"Why would it be a bluff?" _I thought confusedly. I sat there and pondered that for a moment, _"Of course! The entire line of stores on this block have common walls! The shutters are down, and the only way you can see outside is through the glass door! That even eliminates the chances of there being a sniper since all five are standing away from the door. These people are smart..." _I thought with a glare.

One of the men grabbed a mega-phone of his own and said, "YOU'RE BLUFFING! WE'LL MAKE A DEAL WITH YOU, YOU BRING FIVE MILLION YEN HERE WITHIN HALF AN HOUR AND WE'L LET EVERYONE GO!" The man chuckled. _"F-five million yen!?And only thirty minutes!? That's an outrageous demand!" _I thought with a surprised face.

"IF YOU DON'T COMPLY, WE'LL KILL ONE PERSON AT A TIME FOR EACH HALF HOUR YOU TAKE!" Once the man finished, he began laughing maniacally. _"We need to succeed! But to make an outrageous demand such as that, are they even counting on the police to succeed!?" _Then it hit me... They don't want the money, they just want to kill. _"Wait, hold on... if they just wanted that then they would have killed us sooner. Come on Sora, be more creative! Think like a criminal!" _I sat in thought. I looked around and saw one man in particular looked even more nervous than the rest.

"HELP US! THEY'RE GONNA KILL ME!" He cried out desperately.

"SHUT UP!" One of the men kicked the scared man's face. He fell to the ground with an 'oof' and nursed his broken nose. _"Kill 'me'? Why is he so certain that it's him? There's at least thirty other people here, so why him?" _The man sat up again, and he looked terrified.

"They're gonna kill me.. I just know it..." He said quietly (though not quietly enough obviously).

I scooted over to him and asked, "What makes you so sure?"

He was surprised and said, "I-I don't need to tell you that." I frowned but just scooted back.

"THIRTY MINUTES ARE UP! ONE OF THESE PEOPLE IS GOING TO DIE!" One of the men grabbed a very unfortunate man... and shot him. In the head. _"No..." _The man threw the body to the ground, in front of the door.

"YOU HAVE THIRTY MORE MINUTES UNTIL THE NEXT FATALITY!" The mega-phone man threatened the police.

"_Okay, so the paranoid man and the robbers have some sort of history- which is obvious since he won't tell me the reason for his suspicions. So if they wanted to kill him, why take us all hostage?" _I was feeling very confused by then. I thought for a bit more... No. _"They want to-"_

"They want to disguise it." Two voices said in unison. I looked and the people who said it were Kurouba and Conan-kun.

"They want it to seem like it's just a hostage situation, and that man is just one of the unfortunate victims. That way nobody would tie them to the murder." They elaborated. _"These two are very observant. That'll help."_

"Of course, and they don't even care about the money. They just want to be able to kill him, cover it up, and get away scott-free." They nodded and I continued, "We need to get these people out of here."

"Agreed."

* * *

**Sonata: Another cliffy! And I'm sorry this chapter was short, it's just that this seemed like a good place to cut it off! Additionally, if any of you are thinking Sora's in to girls... NO! She just has a sense of justice, and doesn't want anyone to get hurt.**

**Sora: So... a murder happened.**

**Sonata: Yup.**

**Sora: How are you not feeling sick?**

**Sonata: Well, I didn't _see_ the blood, I _read_ it.**

**Sora: Uh-huh..**

**Sonata: Anyway, please review!**


	3. Escape- Part Two

**Two Sides of a Coin: Chapter Three**

_**Escape- Part Two**_

**Flor- I'm glad you liked the previous chapter as well! And haha, Kaito is definitely funnier than Shinichi. Indeed, that is exactly what I was aiming for concerning Sora's personality. She is indeed logical, and she is a teensy bit lethargic. Poor Sora, she's not used very to city noise. Anyways, glad you were excited for this chapter! Like my posting date? Thanksgiving! This year I'm thankful for my wonderful readers!**

**Note: bold (during the actual chapter)= English**

**Sonata: Hi hi hi!**

**Sora: -is sleeping-**

**Sonata: HEY! WAKE UP!**

**Sora: -keeps sleeping-**

**Kaito: Wow, she is a really heavy sleeper.**

**Sonata: -sighs- That's how I designed her.**

**Saguru: When am I going to appear?**

**Sonata: Hm... How about... in seven chapters? -is sarcastic (or am I?)-**

**Sora: -wakes up- Sonata doesn't own Detective Conan/ Magic Kaito... -goes back to sleep-**

**Everyone: 0.o**

**Sonata: Let's just get started, shall we?**

* * *

_Recap_

"_They want it to seem like it's just a hostage situation, and that man is just one of the unfortunate victims. That way nobody would tie them to the murder." They elaborated._

"_Of course, and they don't even care about the money. They just want to be able to kill him, cover it up, and get away scott-free." They nodded and I continued, "We need to get these people out of here."_

"_Agreed."_

* * *

I sat and watched as the men (and the one woman) paced around the store. I looked at the clock and it was 8:12 PM. _"Only eighteen minutes until the next fatality." _I thought worriedly. _"We need to get out of here, and fast. If we don't hurry, then they will achieve their goal, and possibly kill the rest of us." _I glared at my lap and clenched my teeth. _"No! I cannot die! I need to find that person!"_

"Sora-neesan, are you alright?" I heard Conan-kun aske me worriedly.

I smiled reassuringly (which is totally not like me) and said, "I'm fine, don't worry kid." He seemed unconvinced but said nothing. I appreciated that, I needed silence to think.

"_Okay, so we're sitting in what seems to form a square. There are five 'robbers' and they pace around us at the same speed as each other. They only pass in front of the door for a short amount of time- definitely too short a time for someone to snipe them without the risk of injuring a civilian. Come on Sora, think. There has to be an opening." _I began to clench my teeth (a nasty habit I might add), and saw Kurouba fiddling with his back pocket. I saw him pull something out. It was a pocket knife. He must have felt me looking at him, because he looked at me and gave me a sheepish grin. I gave him a 'are-you-serious?' look and he only shrugged. I groaned internally and rolled my eyes. He scooted closer to me and hid his knife in my side and began cutting his tape. He finished cutting and started on mine. He finished, and I kept the tape on, pretending that it was still together. He did the same, and handed me the knife discreetly. I scooted over to Mouri and Conan-kun and helped them with theirs. I scooted away and began to strategize again.

"_Okay, so our hands are officially unbound. And the time is... 8:23. Crap. Seven minutes left. Okay, calm down... Let's see.. it should work if we do th-" _Someone interrupted my thoughts.

"SHE HAS A KNIFE! SHE MUST BE ONE OF THEM!" A man yelled._ "Crap." _I panicked and kept the knife on me, not wanting Kurouba to be ratted out. One of the men approached me and pulled me up roughly.

* * *

(Conan's POV)

"_That's not a normal reaction. That man must be on their side." _I thought with a grimace.

* * *

(Sora' POV)

"Where'd you get that knife from, hmm?" He asked me with a sinister tone._ "Ugh... Really bad breath..."_ I shrugged and said nothing.

"No answer, huh? Hey! Grab the tape!" One of the other men ran and grabbed the tape. I looked around and saw that the others halted their progress. I found Kurouba and gave him a look that yelled 'NOW'. He nodded and whispered to the other two.

"HEY! LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!" He yelled in my ear._ "Ouch... My ears are ringing."_

"**Oh, I'm sorry, I don't speak very good Japanese, you'll have to excuse me. But honestly, you're being rather rude, handling a girl in such a way is very disgraceful. How un-gentlemanly." **I scolded him with a smirk.

The man holding me looked confused (and quite annoyed) and said, "Just shut her up..." The man with the tape nodded and was about to put the tape over my mouth when I kicked the man holding me in his... lower regions. He yelled and dropped me, and I smirked and ducked just as the man with the tape was about to punch me. Instead of hitting me like he planned, he accidentally punched his partner just as he stood up.

"Ooh! That's gotta hurt!" Kaito said, standing up with a smirk. He pulled out an odd looking gun and started waving it around.

"How'd you-!?" The woman began.

"Easy feat for a magician!" He cut in and shot the gun at a man that was (apparently) coming up behind me. I narrowly avoided it and saw what the projectile was- _"A card?"_. I was puzzled for a moment, but recovered from that. While Kurouba was shooting cards all over the place, I ran to the nearest thing I could use to my advantage. It was a skateboard. _"I can ride this!" _I threw it to the floor and hopped on. I rolled past the fighting and towards the door. Just as I was about to reach it, another shot rang out and I felt a burning sensation in my arm. The shot threw me off and I fell off the board. I looked at my arm and it was bleeding. A lot. I grimaced and ran to the door. I heard a feminine 'HAAAAAHH!' (which I presumed was Mouri) and a person falling to the floor with an 'oof'. I reached the door and it opened automatically. I went outside and breathed in the (relatively) fresh air. I saw the police and they were shocked at my state.

"Now's your chance! Get in there!" I yelled, feeling out of breath. They charged in and I collapsed, feeling the adrenaline wearing off. I panted and saw blood oozing out my sleeve. The only thought that went through my head was,_ "Great." _and I lost consciousness.

* * *

When I awoke, my head was pounding. Everything was white, then it faded and I was able to make out shapes. I head voices and I could tell they were Conan-kun's, Mouri's and Kurouba's. When my vision regulated, I saw that my suspicions were indeed correct.

"Where's the party?" I asked sarcastically.

"Sora-neesan! You're okay!" Conan-kun said with a smile.

"I'm glad you're okay, Fuyuhana-san." Mouri said with a relieved smile.

"Yo! Nice to see you're up and at 'em!" Kurouba greeted loudly. I groaned and was about to move my hands to cover my ears, but it hurt to move my left arm.

"Itte!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, right. You were shot in your left arm. Though the bullet didn't hit any bone, it did manage to get stuck somehow.. Oh, and the bullet barely missed a nerve." Mouri elaborated with a wince of a smile.

"At least it's not your right hand, right? Otherwise it'd be hard to do stuff like eating, writing, homework..." Conan-kun counted off on his fingers.

"I'm left-handed." I dead-panned.

"Oh. Nevermind then."

"I can sort of write with my right hand, it's just sloppy and a bit slower." I shrugged it off.

"I can lend you my notes." Kurouba suggested.

"Arigatou, Kurouba, that helps a lot." I said with a (rare) smile. He was a bit surprised.

"No prob!" He said with a thumbs-up.

"Well, I'm really tired. You guys don't mind if I sleep, do you?" I asked them, my eyelids growing really heavy.

"Go ahe-" I didn't hear the rest because I fell asleep.

* * *

When I woke up again, I was alone (except for the nurse). She saw that I was awake and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Lethargic. And a bit fuzzy." I said tiredly.

"Makes sense, you're suffering from slight blood loss. I need you to drink some water so that your body can start helping itself, okay?" She handed me a tiny paper cup of water and I gulped it down in one shot.

"Good job. Okay, you can get back to sleep now." She turned and left the room. I fell asleep again, but this time it wasn't dreamless. It was filled with memories...

* * *

"_Mom, I'm going to miss you..." A young girl said sadly. A beautiful woman smiled at her and said, "I'll be home in two weeks. You need to take care of Dad, okay?" The woman said, stroking her daughter's cheek._

"_Okay Mom." The girl smiled sadly. The woman kissed her daughter's forehead and turned towards her husband._

"_What about me? Don't I get a kiss goodbye?" The man whined playfully. The woman rolled her eyes and said, "Okay, Mr. Whineypants." She was about to kiss his cheek, but he moved so that their lips touched instead. She blushed when they parted and said, "I'll be home soon!"and she ran off to the gate._

"_I'm going to miss Mom..." The girl said again._

"_I know kiddo, me too." The man put the girl on his shoulders and waved goodbye to the plane. The girl felt a tear go down her face and wiped at it hurriedly, but more started to come. "Mom, come back soon..." Was all she said._

* * *

I woke up again, and it was really bright. I felt moisture on my cheeks and realized I had been crying in my sleep. I wiped my tears away and put my head in my hand. _"No more sleeping today." _I realized something, and felt around my neck. _"Where is it!?" _I looked around frantically, and a person came in the room. I calmed down and sat still.

"Looking for something?" The doctor asked with a friendly smile and held out his open hand. I looked and saw _the _locket in his hand.

"Where'd you-?" I began.

"We had to remove it during your surgery." He explained and put it on the table beside my bed.

"Th-thank you." I said with an uncertain tone.

"You're welcome. Oh, and while I'm here I might as well give you the news. You're not going to be able to use that arm of yours for awhile, also, you might need to take some physical therapy if you find your arm not recovering very well. But don't worry, none of the bone of the shattered. Additionally, we're going to need to keep you here for one more day. We've written to your school, and they understand." I thanked the man, and had another epiphany.

"Sensei*, how much... how much did the surgery cost?" I asked hesitantly.

"A donor covered the cost of that, and your hospitalization." He said as he left the room. _"A donor? Who could it be?" _I thought confusedly.

* * *

(Unknown POV)

"What kind of trouble did you get yourself into this time, Sora-chan?" A silhouette was holding a cell phone and it rested against the person's chin. The person looked out the window and smiled. The person sighed and said, "She's so unpredictable. But Sora-chan is Sora-chan, so I can't do anything to help her other than this." The person sat in a swivel chair and pulled up an email on their laptop- it showed an email from the hospital that Sora's admitted to.

"_Thank you for your generous donation. She is very grateful, and just as you asked, you are listed as an anonymous donor." _The email read.

"_I'm glad. Thank you for helping her and complying with my wishes." _The person replied.

The person smirked and thought,_ "You really are a handful, Sora-chan." _and rested their head against the back of the chair.

* * *

(Sora's POV)

I was finally released from the hospital last night.I don't think I was ever more bored than I was the day I spent there. I sighed as I walked to the school, and when I got inside I put on my school shoes. I walked to the classroom and I saw Kurouba. He saw me too and waved.

"Ohayo, Fuyuhana!" He greeted me.

I sighed tiredly and said, "Ohayo, Kurouba." I walked over to my desk and a few people surrounded me.

"Fuyuhana-san, is it true that you helped people escape from the hostage situation two days ago?" I was surprised and sent a glare Kurouba's way, and all he did was grin. I sighed and said, "Yeah."

"Waa, sugoi desu yo!" One of the girls said excitedly. I rolled my eyes and rested my head on my desk and tried to doze off, but I saw something- or rather, someone. I saw coffee-colored hair, and I quirked my eyebrow and thought,_ "Why is that head of hair familiar?" _I closed my eyes again, not wanting to be bothered with it.

"Oi, Hakuba! What're you doing here?" A loud classmate asked someone. I opened my eyes and saw that he was talking to the coffee guy.

"Ah, I decided to come back from England early." He replied simply._ "England?"_

"Oh, how long are you gonna be here?" Another (but female) classmate asked him.

"I'm going to be here for awhile." He said with what I assumed was a smile considering the rise in pitch in his voice.

"Yay!" One of the girls cheered. I rolled my eyes and sensei came in the room. I sat up and looked straight ahead. I was fighting the urge to fall asleep. Sensei did roll-call, and I managed to stay awake long enough to acknowledge her when she called my name. Soon after, I fell asleep.

I had a pleasant dream that I was champion of the American X Games, and I was about to receive the trophy. The host of the contest came up to me and said, "Fuyuhana-san, wake up." I woke up and sat up straight. As I looked around, I saw that it wasn't sensei who woke me up, but coffee guy. He pointed at the chalkboard and saw that sensei was looking for volunteers to solve it. I looked away from sensei, hoping that I wouldn't attract her attention, but she called me up anyway. I sighed (quietly) and got up to solve the problem.

"So if y = 7, then x has to equal 8." I muttered under my breath as I finished. I turned back around, and people were surprised that I solved it.

"Um... Fuyuhana-san, we haven't gone over that method of solving this equation yet." I quirked my eyebrow at that statement, then remembered.

"Oh, I learned it already at Hokkaido." I explained and walked back to my seat. As soon as I sat down I fell asleep again.

* * *

When I woke up, I saw that class was over and Kurouba was the one who interrupted my peaceful slumber.

"Geez Fuyuhana, you sleep way too much." He pointed out with a frown.

I sighed and said, "Yeah, but what can I say? I'm exhausted from the events two days ago, and the pain meds they gave me last night haven't worn off yet." I yawned and laid my head back down and soon after Kurouba lifted my head back up and said, "Stop sleeping. We have to go to Literature soon." I sighed again and stood up. I grabbed my bag and got to the door, but my vision went blank for a moment and I lost balance- I began to fall, but someone caught me. _"Coffee guy?"_

I stood up and felt slightly embarrassed. "Sorry about that, thanks." I said with a slight and polite bow.

"Don't worry about it." He said with a smile.

"Well, I'd better get going to the next class." I said and turned to walk away, but he stopped me by putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Wait, I'll walk you." He said with an... unreadable expression. _"What's up with this guy?"_

"Whatever." I said with a yawn. I started walking ahead, and he quickly caught up.

"So... what's your name? I didn't see you here last time." He asked me with his mysterious smile.

"Fuyuhana Sora, but you already know that, right? I mean, you woke me up earlier." I said with a quirked brow. "So, how did you know my name already?"

"You caught me." He said, holding his hands up, "I heard some people talking about the hostage situation two days ago, and they mentioned your name. So, I put two and two together and figured out that it was you." He explained.

"I see." We walked some more in awkward silence until I decided to break it. "So, I told you my name, what's yours?" I asked boredly.

"Hakuba Saguru." He answered. _"Why is that name so familiar?" _Soon after I finished that thought, my lethargic mind processed something else.

"So, what did you mean by 'last time'?" I asked him with yet another yawn.

"Oh, I often go abroad and solve cases that stump the local detectives. Occasionally, I even 'assist' in capturing Kaitou Kid."

"Ah, I see." We reached the classroom and parted ways. I sat down at my desk and sneezed.

"Fuyuhana-san!" Hakuba called over to me.

"Haah?" I asked as I turned my head towards him, wiping my nose with my handkerchief.

"Let's meet after school!" He suggested with a smile. I rolled my eyes and said, "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm busy." then I sat down and actually tried to stay awake for this class. Thanks to my efforts, I actually learned something (for once). Once class was over, I yawned and stretched my arm.

"Fuyuhana, here's my notes. You can copy them during lunch." Kurouba said with a smile as he handed me his notebook.

"Ah, arigatou, Kurouba." I said while rubbing my nose some more (but this time using my sleeve).

"You're so unsanitary." Kurouba said with a teasing frown.

"Who cares? I'm not trying to impress anyone." I said simply. I stood up and grabbed my bag again and called to Kurouba over my shoulder, "Come on, I'm hungry. I'm not gonna wait here all day." and I walked away.

"Aah! Matte!" Kurouba caught up with me and we chatted on the way and Kurouba's friend from two days ago came up.

"Ah, Fuyuhana-san! I'm glad you're okay!" She said with a smile. _"Finally, someone who isn't saying, 'Wow! You're so cool, taking on the robbers is so brave!'." _I thought with relief.

"Ah, thanks. I don't think we've been properly introduced, right?" I asked with a quirked brow.

"Oh yeah! My name is Nakamori Aoko!" She introduced herself happily.

"Fuyuhana Sora." I said with a nod of my head.

"Um, I knew that already." She said with a comical sweat-drop.

"Oh, right. Habit, I guess?" I suggested with a slight frown, but continued walking. We all talked rather comfortably with each other, and I guess I actually found some friends there. It was a pity that I probably wasn't going to be staying there for very long.

* * *

"Nee, Sora-san. Oh, sorry, is it okay if I call you that?" Nakamori asked me nervously.

I quirked my eyebrow and said, "Sure."

"Okay, Sora-san! So, Sora-san, is it true that you speak English fluently?" She asked me as I took a bite of my omuraisu.

"Hai." I answered simply.

"Could you say something in English please?" She asked excitedly.

I sighed and said, "Okay. **I honestly don't see the appeal in speaking in English. Sure, it's the most commonly spoken language, but I've learnt that Spanish, Chinese and Japanese are also common. However, out of them all, Japanese is my favourite. **Is that good enough?" I finished with a smirk.

Nakamori had a blank face, clearly saying that all that I said went over her head. I shook my head with a smile and said, "Nakamori-san?"

"Ah, hai?" She snapped back to reality.

"You were spacing out." I pointed out with a renewed expressionless face.

"Ah, gomen. Ano, Sora-san, I noticed that you had an accent different from the American one. Was it British or Australian?" She asked me.

"Briti-" Kurouba began.

"Australian." I cut him off.

"Oh, so you're from Australia?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah." I noticed Kurouba frowning with concentration. I inwardly grimaced at the questions that Kurouba would probably ask.

"What's it like there?" Nakamori asked with a curious smile.

"Sunny." I answered simply.

"Ah, I see... So what do you..." She began.

* * *

When the final bell rang, I hurried home. I ran across the street and down a few blocks and hung a right. I ran up the stairs and once I reached my apartment, I went in, closed the door and locked it. I turned around and fell to the floor panting. _"You can't avoid him forever..." _The annoying voice in the back of my head said scoldingly.

"Shut up!" I replied angrily. I stood up and laid out my books on the coffee table by my tiny complimentary TV. I laid down on the couch parallel to the table and just lay there, thinking. _"Maybe I should move to Kansai ahead of schedule... no, I can't... I haven't searched here thoroughly."_

I looked around my apartment, and looked at my couch and thought, _"This thing's traveled the world with me, and it's starting to get a little worn." _with a frown. I stood up and decided to make myself a simple dinner of instant noodles. I put the water in th microwave, and as I waited for it to boil, I pondered what I should do tomorrow. _"Well, tomorrow's the weekend; I'll have time to search then." _I nodded to myself and checked the timer. There were two minutes left, so I had enough time to do what I wanted. I walked over to my desk and turned on my (beat-up) laptop. I pulled up my internet and went to ***Tube and played some American rock from my playlist. ****mo*e's '****'s Wh** Y*u ***', ** was the first to play and I went over to the kitchen again. When I got to the kitchen, I heard the microwave beep. I pulled out the water and carefully poured it into the styrofoam cup and as I did so, I thought some more. _"I wonder where I should start looking tomorrow... I suppose I could check the phone books, but I doubt that'll get me very far. Maybe I could check the hospitals for any frequent patients, or even the law offices." _I sighed and I realized something... my hand was burning.

"ATSUI!***" I yelled as I quickly dropped my measuring cup in the sink and rinsed my hand with cold water._"What's wrong with me today?" _I pulled my arm out from under the water and carefully pat my arm dry with a towel. When I was done I looked and saw that the towel I used was one of my shirts.

"I give up!" I threw my hands in the air and I plopped on my bed (which was only a few steps away). I turned onto my side, and stared at the wall until I fell asleep.

* * *

The next day.

I woke up with a stretch and walked into the kitchen. I saw my uneaten noodles still there, and I threw it away without a second thought. I yawned into my hand and smelled my breath. _"Ew." _I brushed my teeth and took a quick shower. I picked out a loose blue graphic t-shirt and pulled on some dark blue skinny jeans and white socks. I ate a granola bar and pulled on my black and grey striped hoodie and my black sneakers. I swung my messenger bag over my shoulder and checked its' contents. _"My sketchbook, camera, phone, pencils, eraser, gum and glasses." _I realized I was missing my locket and quickly put it on- as well as my metal spin ring (which I wore on my right ring finger). I grabbed my key and went outside and locked the door. I walked downstairs an greeted my landlady, and she said 'hello' back with a kind smile. I smiled and left for the main part of town. I put on my glasses and walked across the street. I looked all around me, and saw nothing but tall buildings, traffic, and many pedestrians. _"How am I going to find you here?" _I thought with a frown.

* * *

**Sonata: Another chapter posted!**

**Sora: -yawns- Yeah.**

**Sonata: Happy Thanksgiving everyone!**

**Sora: -doesn't care-**

**Sonata: WHY DON'T YOU CARE!?**

**Sora: -points to herself- Australian, remember?**

**Sonata: Right. How about everyone else?**

**The rest of the characters: We're Japanese.**

**Sonata: Do you even care about 4th of July!?**

**Cast: We're not American!**

**Sonata: Now I feel like an idiot.**

**Sora: -pats me on the back- Don't worry about it, it can't be any worse than how Hotaru normally feels.**

**Sonata: Oh gosh, Hotaru... Anyway, please review.**

***In Japan, they also call doctors, writers, manga artists, etc. sensei.**

****First person to guess this song can ask me a question, and depending on what it's about, I'll answer!**

*****Japanese for: HOT!**


	4. The Search

**Two Sides of a Coin: Chapter Four**

_**The Search**_

**Sonata: -is feeling weirded out-**

**Sora: Sonata?**

**Sonata: Hm? -looks at Sora listlessly-**

**Sora: -quirks an eyebrow- Why are you all weirded out?**

**Sonata: -sighs and murmurs something under my breath-**

**Sora: I didn't quite catch that. Could you repeat it?**

**Sonata: I said, I can't tell you. It's so weird that it'll haunt you for days.**

**Sora: Okay...?**

**Sonata:**** I don't own Detective Conan.**

* * *

I walked down the sidewalk and looked all around. _"Where do I look first?" _I thought, thoroughly overwhelmed by the amount of buildings. I looked at my map of the town and marked all the hospitals, law offices and gyms... Which took up a bit of my map. I shook my head and went to the closest one first. It was _Shirasaki Law Offices_, and I felt a little nervous about just barging in, but I shook it off. I went up to the entrance and the doors slid open. The waiting room had a very minimalistic and modern feel to it, and I stood out like a sore thumb in my casual wear. Not that I cared. I went up to the receptionist's desk and asked, "Excuse me, but is there anyone by the name of Katayama Yuuki working here?"

The receptionist looked up from her computer and said, "Let me check first." She looked down again and began typing. I took the time to look around a bit more, and I saw that I was attracting some weird looks. I rolled my eyes and looked back at the receptionist. "I'm sorry, there's nobody by that name working here." She said with a sad smile.

"How about Fuyuhana Yuuki?" I asked, almost pleadingly.

"May I ask who you are, and why you want to know?" The receptionist named... Miu asked.

"She's a... friend of mine." I answered simply.

"Very well then, I'll check again." She went back to her frenzied typing and when she finished, she said, "I'm sorry, but there is no Fuyuhana Yuuki in the database."

I sighed and said, "Okay, thanks. Sorry for wasting your time." I turned and left. I pulled out my map and crossed off the office, and looked at the rest of my map. _"Just thirty-seven more buildings to go..." _I sighed for the umpteenth time and went to the hospital across the street.

I asked around at the hospital, and everyone said they'd never met a Katayama or Fuyuhana Yuuki. I didn't let it get to me, though. There were many buildings left. Far too many- and each one I visited was either a repeat of the last, or worse (and by worse, I mean being thrown out). The most recent visit earned me the latter ending, and I landed on my bum on the hard sidewalk. I groaned in pain and stood up.

"Are you alright, Fuyuhana-san?" Someone asked me. I turned around and saw it was... what was his name? I just knew that I nick-named him coffee dude.

"Ah, it's you." I said with a bored tone.

"... Did you forget my name again?" He asked with a comical sweat-drop.

"Uh, yeah... sorry."

He sighed and said, "Hakuba Saguru- don't forget it."

"Yeah, sorry." I was about to walk away when I realized something. "Wait.. what did you mean by 'again' earlier?"

He seemed a little nervous, but it was only momentary and he said, "Oh, I don't know." He sighed and asked, "So, what are you up to?"

"I'm exploring the town, looking for part-time work. The usual." I answered while looking at my map.

"Ah. But why would you look for work at a gym? Wouldn't you want to work for a family restaurant, or maybe a fast-food place?" He asked with a quirked brow. _"Crap!"_

"Oh, well I was hoping to sign up for membership in this gym." I answered a little nervously. If he noticed my nervousness, he didn't point it out because he replied, "I see. Why'd they throw you out though?"

"I dunno. Maybe it's because I didn't have parental consent and I kept asking them to let me join anyway." I said while looking around.

"Ah, that makes a bit more sense." He smiled and said, "How about I show you a good place to work at, as well as eat?"

"Sure, but it can't take long." I agreed with a shrug.

"Alright then, follow me." He walked a little ahead of me and I followed hesitantly. We walked in companionable silence until we reached a family restaurant called _Sushi and Burgers _and I thought, _"What a weird mix of food choices.."_

"Weird, right? But that doesn't mean the food isn't good." He said with a grin and he walked up to the front and saw that there was a 'Now Hiring' sign. He walked up to the door and held it open for me. I walked through the door and said a quiet 'thanks'.

"This place has a pretty friendly atmosphere." I said while looking around emotionlessly.

"Indeed it does." The hostess came and showed us to our table. We sat down across from each other, and I said, "We're splitting the bill, right?"

"Nope. I'm paying." He said with a grin.

"Uh, no way am I letting you pay for me." I said with a huff.

"And there's no way that I'm gonna let you pay for yourself when I know that you're running short on funds." I felt my jaw drop.

"How did you know that?" I asked him incredulously.

"Well, you're looking for a part-time job, so that implies you need at least some money. And the fact that your school bag looked a bit... second-hand, and your uniform a bit loose, means that you didn't have the money to purchase ones in good condition. Not to mention, the fact that you were trying to register for a gym without parental consent when you're still a minor is pretty strange, no?" When I thought he was finished, he just continued, "Finally, the fact that you probably didn't even bother calling your parents and ask for their permission implies that you and your parents have an at least awkward relationship." He finished with a serious look.

I felt myself growing annoyed (also defeated) and I said, "Whatever. Just stay out of my personal life, okay?" When the waitress came to ask us what drinks we wanted, I just said water and he said the same.

"So, who are you looking for?" Hakuba asked me.

I looked up from my menu and said, "Who said I was looking for anyone?"

"Your map. You marked all the law offices, hospitals and gyms." He answered simply. "Oh, another question. Why are you looking for this person?"

I sighed and blew my bangs out of my face. "It's really none of your business, alright?" I said with a frown.

He held up his hands and said, "Okay, I was just curious."

"Hmph." The waitress came back and took our orders. I ordered the cheapest items on the menu- which was a burger and fries. He ordered a burger as well, and once she left, we sat in awkward silence. When she came back with our food, I ate quietly and quickly. When she came back once more to ask how we were doing, I asked her about a job opening and she got me an application. I thanked her and she left to get the bill. When I finished my water, I left a little cash on the table and left. I heard Hakuba sigh and I hastened my pace. Once I got outside, it was getting close to sunset. I hurried along to the next place on my map. _Morishita Medical. _I entered the building and noticed that it was a relatively small hospital. I went up to the desk and asked the receptionist the same questions as all the previous places. She shook her head and told me that she wasn't allowed to tell me their list of patients. I sighed and left.

Outside, it was beginning to get dark and I shook my head and headed to the park. On the way, I saw Hakuba and I covered my face with my sketchbook. I evened my pace and passed him. Once I was out of sight I let out a deep breath of relief. I got to the park, and I sat on a bench and began to draw.I started out with a simple figure sitting on an incline, and when I finished drawing the figure, it came out as a man. He looked like he was looking at something. I was dissatisfied with how empty the drawing was and drew scenery around him. I drew silently and quickly, and when I finished it was an image of a man sitting on a roof in a big city. His facial expression was that of a person deep in thought, and his eyes were distant.

"I never knew you were an artist." I heard a familiar voice. I looked up from my sketchbook, and saw Hakuba. I also noticed that it was dark.

"What do you want?" I asked him with an annoyed expression.

"I just wanted to apologize." He said with his head down. My eyes widened with surprise and he continued, "It wasn't right for me to butt into your life. Your business is your own."

"... I forgive you." I said with a sigh. "But why do you care so much?"

"Who said I cared?" He asked with a frown.

"It was how you kept prying, and you were obviously paying attention to what I was doing. Since you noticed my map, anyway." I took a breath and said, "Additionally, you pay attention to my well being- to the point of deducing how my family life is." I kept a blank look and finished with, "So, that brings me back to my earlier question: why do you care so much? I mean, we just met yesterday."

"Let's just say we knew each other a long time ago." He said with a smile that almost seemed... sad.

"We did?" I was surprised to say the least.

"Yeah. But I guess it doesn't matter since you don't even remember." He sighed and sat next to me.

"Care to refresh my memory?" I asked with a small smile.

"No, it'd be better if you remembered on your own." He smiled.

"Alright then." I sighed and said, "But just so you know, I have horrible memory."

He snorted and said, "I don't doubt that. I'd be surprised if you remembered what you had for breakfast this morning."

I scoffed jokingly and said, "As a matter of fact, I do remember."

"Oh yeah? What was it?" He asked 'challengingly'.

"I had nothing." I smirked.

"So nutritious." He remarked sarcastically.

"Indeed." We sat in comfortable silence for a little while until I said, "So, I have a feeling that when we first met, it wasn't here in Japan."

He smiled slightly and said, "You're right about that."

"Okay, so my memory isn't completely horrible." I said triumphantly.

He smirked and replied, "Yes, but it's still quite bad since you weren't even that young when we met."

"Hey, it's not my fault I can't remember any farther back than the age of six." I frowned.

"... We met when you were seven." He deadpanned.

"Oh... sorry." I apologized sincerely and went to looking at my lap.

"It's fine. You had some bad memories during that time." He said understandingly.

"We were that close?"

"Yeah, we were." I looked back at him, and his face was full of nostalgia. _"Now that I think about it, his face is a bit familiar." _I thought with a frown.

"I should probably get going... It's pretty dark now." I said and stood up from my seat.

"I'll walk you home." Hakuba offered.

"Nah, it's okay. See you at school on Monday." I waved and left. I kept walking down the sidewalk, but I heard someone catching up to me. "I thought I said I could walk on my own." I said with a frown as Hakuba got right behind me.

"I'm not letting a girl walk home alone at this time of night." I scoffed and said, "Fine."

* * *

Once we reached my apartment, Hakuba said goodnight to me, and I to him. We parted ways and I went inside. I threw off my clothes and changed into some jersey shorts and a loose t-shirt to sleep in. I brushed my teeth and dropped onto my bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

**Sonata: Sorry that this chapter was rather uneventful.**_  
_

**Sora: Oh yeah, what was the result of the contest from the previous chapter?**

**Sonata: No winner. Heck, only one person tried!**

**Sora: That's too bad.**

**Sonata: Oh well, I'll hold another one again sometime. Please review!**


End file.
